The GEO Group and CoreCivic (formerly Corrections Corporation of America) both have automatically renewing contracts with the State of Georgia that are not negotiated annually and have been in place for over two decades. The contracts require that the four facilities under private supervision maintain a certain occupancy rate or the state faces a penalty.

Information from the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission shows that the nation’s two largest private prison companies donated more than $174,000 to elected officials over the last two years.

Donations Cross Party Lines

Lawmakers on any particular side of the aisle were not exclusive recipients of donations from either company. Among the top recipients were Democrat Minority Leader Bob Trammell and Republican Speaker of the House David Ralston. Newly-elected Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan received $3,000 during the election cycle in 2018 from the GEO Group.

Also of note, soon-to-be former Governor Nathan Deal, who has prided his administration on criminal justice reform, received $6,100 from the GEO Group when he was first elected and the Georgia Republican Party received $70,000 from the GEO Group during the 2018 election cycle. Corecivic provided $1,500 to the Georgia Senatorial Committee as well and $2,000 to The Democratic Party of Georgia.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr also received $3,000 from the GEO Group in the General Election cycle while Governor-elect Brian Kemp brought in $6,600 from the GEO Group and $9,100 in from CoreCivic.

Additionally, House Appropriations Chairman Terry England received $2,500 from the GEO Group in 2017 and $2,600 in 2018. He was recently quoted in an AJC article regarding the legitimacy of the audit released citing private prisons as less cost-effective, saying it’s possible the report is not all-inclusive.

Numbers illustrate 2017 and 2018 donations per the Georgia Campaign Finance website. The numbers do not include the last quarter of 2018.

Democrat lawmakers

Sen. Gail Davenport

$1,000

Rep. Calvin Smyre

$1,000

Rep. Bob Trammell

$1,500

Sen. Valencia Seay

$1,000

Sen Freddie Powell Sims

$750

Sen. Stephen Henson

$1,000

$6,250

Republican lawmakers

2017-18 donations

Lt. Gov Casey Cagle

$13,500

Rep. Terry England

$7,600

Sen. Butch Miller

$5,100

Sen. Jack Hill

$4,500

Rep. John Burns

$4,000

Sen. Tyler Harper

$3,500

Sen. David Shafer

$3,500

Sen. John Albers

$3,000

Rep. Jan Jones

$3,000

Rep. David Ralston

$2,700

Sen. Bill Cowsert

$2,000

Rep. Matt Hatchett

$2,000

Rep. Alan Powell

$2,000

Sen. Jesse Stone

$2,000

Rep. Terry Rogers

$1,500

Sen. Blake tillery

$1,500

The Georgia House Republican Trust

$1,500

Georgia Senatorial Comm

$1,500

Rep. John Corbett

$1,000

Sen. Michael Dugan

$1,000

Sen. Chuck Hufstetler

$1,000

Sen. Burt Jones

$1,000

Sen. John Kennedy

$1,000

Rep. John Meadows

$1,000

Rep. Rick Williams

$1,000

Rep. Barry Fleming

$750

Rep. Jimmy Pruett

$750

Rep. Mandi Ballinger

$500

Rep. Geoff Cauble

$500

Rep. Geralde Greene

$500

Sen. Jeff Mullis

$500

Rep. Emory Dunahoo

$250

$75,150

In April 2018, the Corrections Accountability Project released the names of over 3,100 corporations—including over 2,500 privately traded companies—that profit from the United States prison system. (That report is here) The information detailed above only includes that of the two largest companies in the nation and the two with active contracts with the state of Georgia.

Jessica Szilagyi is a Statewide Contributor for AllOnGeorgia.com. She focuses primarily on state and local politics as well as agricultural news. She has a background in Political Science, with a focus in local government, and has a Master of Public Administration from the University of Georgia.
She's a "Like It Or Not" contributor for Fox5 in Atlanta and has two blogs of her own: The Perspicacious Conservative and "Hair Blowers to Lawn Mowers."